As part of this collaborative initiative, PCRI and the Erie County Department of Health are implementing a fellowship‑style Train‑the‑Trainer program to prepare primary care physicians as pain management and OUD‑treatment champions in Erie County. Providers from three primary care groups will complete advanced training and then mentor colleagues to integrate evidence‑based pain and opioid care into routine practice. The program will be evaluated through surveys and chart‑based measures of practice change.
Frederick M. Elliott, MD (Department of Family Medicine)
Jennifer Carlson, LMSW (Sheridan Medical Group)
Gale Burstein, MD, MPH (Co-Investigator; Erie County Department of Health)
Ranjit Singh, MB BChir, MBA (Co-Investigator; Department of Family Medicine)
Matthew Thomas, PhD (Lead Evaluator; Department of Family Medicine and Biomedical Sciences)
Meghan Chambers, MPH (Evaluation Associate; Department of Family Medicine)
New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports - [7/1/25- 6/30/26]
Objective: To establish a structured “Train-the-Trainer” (T3) clinical education program to develop primary care pain management champions in Erie County. Champions (primary care providers) will be trained in comprehensive, evidence-based pain management, and opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnosis, and treatment. Audience: The program’s direct participants are primary care physicians from three Erie County primary care clinic groups (UB Primary Care, Highgate Medical Group, and Sheridan Medical Group). Curriculum & Methods: Champions will participate in intensive T3 fellowship-style training with in-person workshops and virtual mentorship, following the successful UC Davis model. 1 Modules: (a) Comprehensive pain assessment, (b) Non-opioid modalities (exercise, topical agents, mindfulness), (c) Guideline-based opioid prescribing, (d) Screening, diagnosis, and management of OUD, and (e) Harm and stigma reduction. Training will be co-led by UB’s Primary Care Research Institute and Erie County Department of Health, ensuring public health integration. Trained champions will mentor colleagues, implementing best practices in their clinics. Evaluation: The project team will assess knowledge gains and self-efficacy via pre-/post-training tests and 6- month follow-up surveys, and track practice changes through chart reviews (monitoring opioid prescribing rates, use of non-opioid therapies, MAT uptake) and fidelity checks.
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